Pueblo Chieftain: Drought on the farm

Colorado's drought finally is making an impression with Colorado cities as they move to implement outdoor watering restrictions this summer.

As a state, we ought to also be thinking about agriculture.

In Pueblo County, water providers have asked for voluntary reductions in water use as water supplies in storage are drawn down. The Pueblo Board of Water Works, Pueblo West and St. Charles Mesa are closely watching supplies, but no mandatory restrictions are planned.

There also is valid concern for the danger of wildfires again this year. Indeed, some have already flared up.

That said, the state's top concern should be the plight of agriculture.

Farmers in the Arkansas River Basin already have survived two dry seasons, resulting in the loss of tens of millions in farm receipts. The loss of farm income has a dramatic impact on the cities and towns in the Lower Arkansas Valley.

There is an increasing burden on farmers this year, as sources of replacement water for well-pumping have dried up. This will be coupled with reduced flows from a substandard snowpack and the worst winter water storage season in history.

Yet, farmers still are making preparations for another growing season. With each spring comes the hope of a new crop. Every drought eventually breaks.

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It's important for Colorado, as a state, to work toward keeping water rights in agriculture, as well as making sure that senior irrigation rights are not injured by legislative short-cuts, back-door water deals or more water raids by cities.

It sounds almost trite to repeat that water is the lifeblood of Colorado, but it's true.

Think of the state's streams and rivers as a circulatory system. At the heart is agriculture, which represents the attempt of civilization to harness an unpredictable, yet vital, resource.

After the drought of a decade ago, the state set a course of finding cooperative ways to use water that would not permanently dry up farm ground. Those efforts have had some success, but the state still needs to look more seriously toward increasing its long-term supply through projects like the Flaming Gorge pipeline.

The state cannot afford to return to a course that would dry up more precious farm ground. It must act to preserve water rights for farmers.